


Atypical Honeymoon

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Series: The Destined Duo Saga [12]
Category: xxxHoLic
Genre: Canon Relationships, Cuddles, F/M, Gen, One-Sided Attraction, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4382078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their marriage, Kohane and Doumeki don't go on a honeymoon. They go to the shop instead.</p><p>[Watanuki/Kohane/Doumeki feels abounds.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Atypical Honeymoon

**Author's Note:**

> There's been a bunch of stuff regarding Doumeki and Kohane, talk or fanfic or art, that I've been seeing on Tumblr, and it prompted this and... I might... have created... my first... OT3... um... I'll just be over here, ignore me.
> 
> I do not own _xxxHolic_. Thanks~

The silence in the room was heavy, stained with the smoke of pipe tobacco and the burning smell of incense. There was the soft rustle of silk as the single inhabitant of the room shifted, long, pale legs against soft upholstery of the lounge, and the bright colors of the kimono tilting away from a pale collarbone.

He held in his breath, the smoke, things he had had, things he had lost, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks, until his chest ached again. He let the breath out slowly, a billowing plume of smoke rising into the room, joining the fray, and Watanuki breathed softly in the hazy atmosphere.

He opened his eyes, and looked through the gloom to the ceiling. There was nothing there. There was no one there, in the shop, and he was grateful. There would be no guests today, unless it was a client. In the meantime, he would smoke, and sleep, and breathe in the scent of the shop around him. Serenity.

Watanuki closed his eyes again, holding the pipe loosely between his fingers. His arm dangled limply off the chaise, and he pressed his fingers against the floorboards gently. It was smooth, glossy. Tactile. He ran his fingers along it for a moment, and then abandoned the task. He took another drag off of the pipe and repeated the earlier exercise, exhaling through his nose only when it was necessary for him to do so.

He was just begnning to nod off when there were stocking footsteps against the floor, one set, and two, familiar. Pink and blue. Their children. Watanuki opened his eyes again, and turned his head listlessly towards the door.

Maru and Moro slid the door open.

"Watanuki has guests!" Moro said, and Maru repeated the sentiment.

Watanuki set the pipe aside. "Prepare some tea for our clients." He reached to fix the fallen shoulder of his kimono.

"They aren't clients," Maru replied, and before Watanuki could question it, a familiar expressionless face stepped into the open doorway.

Watanuki's fingers stilled on his kimono, abandoning the task. He looked up at Doumeki, his eyes raking up, and then down, the length of his body, and then he looked up to meet his gaze. "I thought you were supposed to be getting married," he said, although the evidence was there.

The tuxedo was not particularly out of the ordinary, because Doumeki had visited more than once after a lecture that had required formal dress. This tuxedo was infinitesimally more formal, deep, dark obsidian against tanned skin and brown eyes. Watanuki could understand more these days, the mystery that had often plagued him in high school: why women fell over Doumeki. Unbiased now, as he was, Doumeki made a suitable husband. His personality, however, did still leave much to be desired.

He wondered briefly how someone like Kohane had fallen in love with someone like Doumeki. But the question was fleeting, and the obvious answer fell into place nearly immediately: it was hitsuzen, just as everything else.

Doumeki held up his hand. On his ring finger now sat a simple glittering band. "I did," he replied. It wasn't dissimilar to the ring that Watanuki had given him awhile ago.

Watanuki blinked lethargically. It was far too much effort to focus on such a small, sparkling thing across the smoke-filled room. "Then why are you here?" he asked, lightly running his fingertip against one of the small burn holes in the chaise. "You should be with Kohane-chan."

Doumeki was unfazed. "I am."

Watanuki registered his children's previous statements almost instantly: _guests_. He made the connection a split second before Kohane peered around the door.

She was still in her wedding dress, the veil falling in thin, white waves down her back. There were flowers on the headdress, and her hair, so long now, was put up for her very special day, only a few tendrils framing her feminine features. She smiled, and Watanuki felt something in his chest that prompted him to swing his legs off the lounge, and fix his kimono as he stood.

"Kohane-chan," he greeted pleasantly, crossing the room. "You look beautiful."

Kohane, already rosy from her make-up and the proceedings, seemed to blush further. "Thank you. Shizuka-kun said the same thing," she murmured.

Watanuki tilted his head to look up at Doumeki. His face gave nothing away. "At least your husband has an eye for beauty," he allowed, and looked back at Kohane. "How was the ceremony? Can I get you something? Maru, Moro," he called, raising his voice for he knew that the children were outside the door, "bring some drinks for our bride and groom."

"Something special, master?"

"Should we get something special from the storehouse?"

Watanuki nodded. "This is a special occasion."

"'Kay~"

Their footsteps retreated down the hallway, and Watanuki looked back at Kohane. "Come, let us go have a seat. You must be tired. How did the ceremony go?" he asked again, leading the way out of the room.

"It was very beautiful," Kohane said quietly. "Oba-chan helped me pick out the dress, and my mother even came to see."

"I didn't know that you were coming. Doumeki didn't tell me." He glanced over his shoulder at the groom. "I would have had something special prepared in celebration."

"I didn't know," Doumeki replied.

Kohane shook her head. "I asked Shizuka-kun if we could come. I wanted to see you, since you couldn't be there."

Watanuki smiled softly. "Thank you, Kohane-chan." He was struck with the urge to ruffle her hair, but she was no longer nine years old, and he was in no position any longer to treat her as a child. She had grown more than he, after all, and her head reached his shoulder now. "I am sorry that I couldn't be there. I'm sure it was a very beautiful day."

Maru and Moro came prancing past with their drinks, and set them down on the table. Watanuki watched as Doumeki stepped forward and pulled out a chair for Kohane. It was that moment that washed a sense of unfamiliarity over Watanuki; he was still here, in the shop, unchanging, and the world was moving on without him. Heedless of his presence here, or his presence not there, Kohane had grown into a pretty young woman, and Doumeki was pulling out chairs for his wife.

"Kimihiro-kun, will you ever leave the shop?" Kohane asked suddenly, and instead of sitting down, she was looking at him with sad eyes. Doumeki was behind her, hand still resting on the back of the chair, and his fingers seized in his grip for only a instant, barely enough time to be there.

Watanuki looked at Kohane in surprise. "Kohane-chan..." And then, heedless of ages or status, he reached up to brush a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Please don't worry about me."

"We both worry about Kimihiro-kun. You know that, right?"

"Yes." It was a foreign concept. But, he had learned. And he still had an infinite amount of learning to do, he was sure. "Just as I worry for Kohane-chan."

"And Shizuka-kun?"

Watanuki again looked up at Doumeki. Formal. Loyal. Unyielding. Doumeki looked back at him. Unshowing. Changing and yet the same.

"For Doumeki, too," Watanuki said, and looked down at Kohane again. "And don't worry. One day, I'll be able to leave the shop. I'll be able to walk with Kohane-chan and Doumeki again."

Kohane smiled softly. "I think so, too, Kimihiro-kun."

And then she surprised him. She reached up and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. His eyes widened slightly. He looked down at her, grown-up, married, her face tucked into his neck. He looked over her shoulder, at Doumeki, who didn't react at all. He had, after all, said that Kohane cared the most about Watanuki. Watanuki watched Doumeki, and Doumeki watched him. And then Doumeki sighed softly and his eyes fluttered closed, and maybe that was the beginnings of a smile.

It wasn't the normal response, but it made Watanuki feel warm inside.

He wrapped his arms around Kohane and hugged her back tightly.

Watanuki was consistant in his ways now. He was so in touch with himself, and his work, and his needs, that he was occasionally too far out of touch with the life around him. But now he could touch, and he wrapped Kohane in his arms and held on.

Kohane tilted her head away from his neck. "We love you, Kimihiro-kun." She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, again surprising Watanuki, who had thought he had come to expect anything. And then Kohane stepped back, pulling away from him, and she took the chair that Doumeki had previously pulled out as though nothing had happened.

Watanuki touched his cheek lightly, and then curled his fingers into his palm and smiled, taking a seat opposite her. He gestured for Doumeki to sit down, and poured them all drinks, and he smiled and laughed softly with Kohane, and Doumeki sat back in his chair with his head propped on his chin and didn't have much to say, as usual, and Watanuki thought that something had gone right. Hitsuzen had been kind today, and maybe this was more desirable than smoking and sleeping and languishing in silence.

　

 

"Can we stay here tonight, Kimihiro-kun?"

Watanuki lowered the ochoko, looking at Kohane. "Why would you want to stay here? Shouldn't you be out on your honeymoon?" He looked at Doumeki for confirmation.

Doumeki popped the last of his mitarashi dango off the skewer. "No," he said, and chewed the sweet methodically.

"We aren't having one." Kohane rest her head on her hand. "It seemed like too much trouble. We are both busy, and Shizuka-kun likes to be here for you."

Watanuki frowned. "That's silly. I can take care of myself for a week or two. Go on a honeymoon."

Kohane shook her head. "We just wanted to come see you instead."

"That's hardly a honeymoon."

But Kohane only smiled. "We both like it. Can we stay here tonight?" she repeated, and Watanuki didn't know why they would want to, but he wouldn't deny a bride her wish on her wedding day. "Shizuka-kun and I will make us breakfast tomorrow morning for your hospitality."

"Kohane-chan, you don't have to..."

"It's payment, Kimihiro-kun," Kohane said. It was like she understood more than he did, sometimes. "If you let us stay, you have to have payment or you'll be hurt, right? We don't want you to be hurt."

"I still can't see why you'd want to stay here on your wedding night." Watanuki leaned back in his chair. "But if that is what you wish..."

"Thank you, Kimihiro-kun!"

"Yeah, thanks."

Watanuki frowned, looking at Doumeki. "You have an awful amount of sarcasm in your tone towards someone who fed you and offered you a bed."

"Shizuka-kun's grateful, too," Kohane chimed. "He just likes it when Kimihiro-kun cooks, that's all."

"I'll bake you a cake as a wedding present soon." He could offer it to them as payment to the many chores that Doumeki did for him. The balance wouldn't be upset, and he could praise their accomplishments in his own way. He wondered if he would feel like cooking anytime soon. He would have to put forth the effort for them.

"Make taiyaki."

Watanuki frowned at Doumeki, again. It was mostly a default setting, even now. "You just got married, and you want taiyaki."

Doumeki reached for another skewer. "Yes. With chocolate filling."

Watanuki sighed. "Kohane-chan?"

"Umm." She tapped her cheek. "I think I'd like custard, if it's not too much trouble."

"I'll do both," Watanuki promised, and now, a promise; he'd have to.

After the taiyaki orders had been taken, Watanuki called for Maru and Moro to help Kohane change from her wedding dress and into some of Yuuko's old clothes. They went, cheerfully, and Watanuki was left with his usually silent companion.

"You should change out of those clothes," he commented, reaching for his pipe laying nearby. "You still have some things here, right?"

"Yeah." Doumeki stood up. He shed his previously unbuttoned tuxedo jacket and slung it over his arm, heading for the door.

Watanuki puffed out a mouthful of smoke. "Doumeki."

Doumeki glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

"Congratulations on your wedding."

Doumeki turned away, staring into nothingness for a moment. And then, "Thanks". He slid the door open and stepped into the hall. "... Tsuyuri wants to sleep with you tonight."

Watanuki startled, inhaling. The smoke burned all the way down his throat, and he was left choking over the heat and the taste. He looked up, eyes watering, to question Doumeki, but he had already gone.

　

 

The true meaning of Doumeki's statement was revealed in a less than exhilarating conversation, and that was how he ended up in between Doumeki and Kohane as they slept on the one king-sized bed in the shop; Kohane was tucked against Watanuki's chest, and Doumeki on Watanuki's other side. It was strange only at first, but Watanuki was used to sleeping with people now, thanks to Maru and Moro, and Kohane fell asleep so quickly that he didn't have time to ponder over it. Her hair was splayed across the plush pillows, draping over her parted lips as she slept.

Watanuki smiled faintly, and gently pushed her hair away from her mouth. She would always be a child to him, even as a beautiful young woman.

"... Doumeki?" he asked shortly, when only the sound of Kohane's gentle breaths and the clock in the distance broke the silence. He expected him to be asleep, but he wasn't surprised when he responded instead.

"Yeah?"

"You be good to her," Watanuki said quietly. "For me, too."

"Of course."

Watanuki sighed. It came out unnaturally heavy, and ruffled his hair, and Kohane's. He closed his eyes. "Are you happy?" he continued. No matter how strange they may be, sharing a bed with another person on a wedding night didn't seem kind to Watanuki. Not from Doumeki's point of view.

Doumeki was quiet. Then, there was movement behind Watanuki's back, and the blankets shifted and shuffled, and then Doumeki's back pressed slightly against Watanuki's. "You heard what she said to you?"

"Which part?"

"That we both have someone we care for."

Watanuki tilted his head, although he couldn't see Doumeki's face because he was laying with his back to him. "And that's supposed to be me, right?"

"Yeah." Doumeki paused. "I'm happy."

Watanuki blinked and then turned his head back into his pillow, hiding his soft smile. "Well, then. That's good."

Yuuko was watching over him, and Doumeki and Kohane were within arm's reach. Watanuki closed his eyes, and fell asleep genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.

 

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Also I think that they might have had a traditional Japanese wedding, because of the Doumeki family being traditional Shinto priests (if I remember correctly), but I wanted to describe Watanuki seeing Kohane in a Western style wedding dress, so I went Western.
> 
> Also I don't remember if Oba-chan was still there... She was a lovely old lady, but I can't remember if her life and/or death was ever mentioned. Just imagine she was, because Kohane has no one else besides her and her mother~


End file.
